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Aussie 'aggression': Wallaroos' star puts her hand up as 'enforcer'
By AAP
Newly-named co-captain Kaitlan Leaney has also appointed herself as a Wallaroos’ enforcer as the Australians eye a best-ever finish at a Women’s Rugby World Cup.
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The world No.6 Wallaroos are hot favourites to launch their campaign in England with a victory over 15th-ranked Samoa on Saturday night (9pm AEST).
But needing two wins from their three Pool A games against Samoa, 10th-ranked USA and title favourites England to match their run to the 2021 quarter-finals in New Zealand, Leaney knows the Wallaroos need to find their A game from the get-go.
The urgency is why the 24-year-old lock is promising to bring the grunt to her team’s Cup opener at Salford Community Stadium.
“Playing in that tight-five area, you’ve got to be a bit of an enforcer,” Leaney told AAP.
“That’s part of my game that I’ve been working on the past couple of seasons: my aggression and dominance in the physicality side of the game.
“Hopefully I can bring that because Samoa, they’re a really physical side.
“We played them a couple of months ago and they’re really physical but they also love their attacking rugby and free-flowing games, so it’ll be a good start for us to build momentum for the USA and England.”
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Australia’s best women’s World Cup finish was a third-place showing in New Zealand in 2010.
Leaney is aiming for higher than that.
“We’re hoping to go better than that,” said the pride of Coffs Harbour rugby.
“Get out of those pool stages and then competition rugby, anything can happen, so we’ll be pushing for the best.
“Obviously we’ve got a lot more funding this year. We had more Test matches, more camps, a lot of continuity within the squad.
“So there”s a good feeling of momentum in the squad.”
Sharing the captaincy duties against Samoa with flanker Emily Chancellor, Leaney feels “blessed” to be leading her country for the first time.
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“It’s crazy,” Leaney said.
“This experience is a lot different to my first World Cup (in 2021). I didn’t play a game, so now having the captaincy next to my name, it’s something I don’t take for granted.”
Making the occasion extra special for Leaney is the return of fellow Coffs Harbour product and Sydney housemate, prop Brianna Hoy, who will come off the bench for her first game since rupturing her ACL during a training session in Ireland last September.
“It’s so cool,” Leaney said.
“Bri and I have been best friends since high school, live together and will be travelling Europe together after the World Cup.
“So it’s just crazy.”
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